Undergraduate Programmes

Teaching is our passion, therefore teachers are our business!

The Department of Humanities Education accommodates some of the Faculty’s most experienced teacher trainers. They are committed to teacher excellence and have dedicated their professional careers to develop quality programmes in initial teacher training. The Department is therefore responsible for various undergraduate fundamental, core and elective modules in the BEd programme. Please find summaries of some of these modules and other undergraduate responsibilities of the Department listed below.

Professional Studies

Professional Studies is a core module in the BEd programme. The main purpose of this module is to enable the student to develop a professional persona and teaching skills, design teaching and learning support materials and plan learning activities that are suitable for the education environment within the South African context. The student will also reflect on the challenges faced by teachers in South Africa today, the curriculum (National Curriculum Statement), and the forces that influence the curriculum. In this module the student is offered the opportunity to plan a learning activity which enables him/her to reflect critically on his/her skills by means of self-, peer- and lecturer assessment.

Being a Teacher: Past and Present Perspectives

OPV 112 is a core module in the BEd programme. In this module students are guided to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes with regard to the political, professional, historical and cultural complexities of teaching. The module focuses on being a teacher with particular emphasis on being a teacher within the South African context. We will examine selected themes in the history of South African education to demonstrate that education and schooling are not neutral entities, but rather the product of specific historical, political and cultural circumstances. With a view to eventually think critically about your role as an engaged professional educator today, we will concentrate on how teachers in South Africa down the ages have responded to the conditions that have shaped their professional lives. The last section of the module deals with being a professional and ethical teacher in South Africa today, as well as teacher identities and extended professionalism. This module aims to challenge students to think about the choices that they have with regard to the various roles that they might play as teachers.

Literacy Practices

This module introduces language and literacies as a foundation for learning. Students will study the concepts and theories related to the acquisition of one’s first language, as well as the learning of additional languages. Having a sound understanding of language development serves as an underpinning of the multiliteracies required by young learners as they start their formal schooling. Language policy issues and how these are managed in the reality of linguistically diverse classrooms are also addressed. The teaching of reading and writing skills receive particular attention. The module includes an overview of children’s literature education as a key resource for the development of communicative skills. Our aim is to equip students sufficiently with the necessary skills to support young learners in their language development so that they become confident learners and competent communicators in at least two official languages.

Classroom Literacies

The focus falls on the significant role of communication as an integral part of the classroom and the school environment. Both in and outside the classroom, a teacher requires sound communicative skills. Students will study theories and strategies underpinning spoken and written communication and will also learn how to use their voice effectively and how to take good care of it as an essential teaching tool. In an instructional context, the clear, expressive use of your voice is the primary mode of communication. Furthermore, South African classrooms have become increasingly diverse and this has complicated communication in the classroom. This module also provides a historical overview of the linguistic heritage that enriches our culturally diverse South African classrooms and attempts to sensitise teachers towards creating a democratic space for learning while appreciating and respecting the various cultural practices which may be evident in a classroom. Furthermore, students’ personal language profile will be enriched as they acquire a functional knowledge of classroom vocabulary and instructional phrases in one of four South African languages (Afrikaans, Northern Sotho, Tswana, and Zulu).

Methodologies

In the modern environment it is essential for teachers to be confident as well as competent in their particular area of expertise. Teachers should be able to design courses and develop material that will appeal to learners who straddle the spectrum of those who have access to alternate media from which to gain knowledge, to those whose only source of knowledge is the classroom.The methodology modules bring together the main threads associated with presenting lessons in the various disciplines and school phases. It places the theory that students will gain in the Education modules in the context of the classroom. The overarching philosophical underpinning of teacher education is implicit in these modules and students are expected to take the lessons that they will learn in these modules to their encounters in the methodology lectures and even further, into the classroom in the future. The methodologies enable students to select the most effective teaching, learning and assessment knowledge and skills applicable to their phase of specialization and to recommend methods for implementation within the context of the National Curriculum Statement.

Methodology of Teaching Languages

This methodology course pertains to the principles and practice of teaching and learning languages with special reference to English as an additional language. A theoretical underpinning strengthens students’ understanding of language development. The importance of cognitive academic language proficiency when teaching learners from diverse linguistic and cultural communities where English as First Additional language (EFAL) is not only taught but also used as the language of instruction, is highlighted. Students are also guided in instructional design as they practise planning, designing and presenting optimal learning opportunities across phases.

Methodology of English

The English methodology modules have as aim to equip teacher trainees with the necessary skills for the facilitation of English teaching practice. The modules include theoretical and practical aspects of language teaching, and students are expected to discover ways in which to teach a language most effectively and become the best language teacher they possibly can. The modules aim to develop teaching skills and knowledge of language acquisition. They are, thus, practical in nature, with opportunities to participate in class activities and assignments. The modules aim to create an understanding of the dynamic nature of language and, therefore, also the transfer of language and the communicative nature of language skills. Students are expected to participate in the learning activities in a responsible way, to show respect to fellow students and lecturers, and to engage in lively debates on language teaching.

By the end of this module students should be able to:

display knowledge and understanding of the significance of the rationale, objectives, relevance and value of being a language teacher

show understanding of the fundamental principles of the National Curriculum and articulate the general aims with regard to language acquisition, instruction and facilitation within OBE as a philosophy

display insight into the specific aims/skills of languages in all the phases

articulate the outcomes with regard to the specific phases and implement assessment standards in a learning task context

select, develop and utilize authentic resources and media for facilitating language acquisition, with a special focus on e-learning

Music Education

The music course intends to expand the student’s knowledge and skills of music, regardless of prior music background. Even more importantly, we believe that the course will inspire students to touch the lives of children through music.

Music Education in schools includes two components: the content of the curriculum presented in the classroom as well as all music activities taking place outside the classroom. The modules in the music course include both of these components.

The invaluable role of music in the lives of children has been investigated by numerous researchers for decades. There is no doubt that active participation in music plays a vital role in the development of the child and has an enriching effect in the way children experience their own existence. Every child should experience the joy and benefits presented by music education in schools.